Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/555185
12 | SEPTEMBER 2015 nshoremag.com Tonight is the eve of press, and I am reviewing all of the rich educational content in this issue—the teachers, mentors, programs, classes, workshops, colleges, and private schools here on the North Shore. A few words bubble to the surface as I read: inspiring, thoughtful, innovative, and transformative. You'll read about April Lyskowsky, the program director of YouthBuild in Lawrence, which provides education, job skills, and real-world work experience to young adults who have come from a lifetime of hardship. YouthBuild is full of positive role models like Lyskowsky who champion our youth in some of the most economically depressed areas on the North Shore, transforming their lives for the better. You'll learn about Lauren and Patrick Belmonte, who have taken on the challenge of educating elementary students about the importance of protect- ing our environment through Change is Simple. This thoughtful program teaches children complex ideas related to making the planet a healthier place through experiential learning. The Peabody Learning Academy started with the simple premise that at-risk youth are often found at the mall, so why not bring the classroom to them at the mall—a place where they already feel comfortable emotionally, physically, and socially. Acad- emy Director Seith Bedard works with these students on many levels, not only in the academic arena but also as a life coach and mentor. Programs such as this one have changed Peabody's dropout rate from 4.3 percent seven years ago to 1.1 percent today—a truly inspiring statistic. Then there is the Brookwood Lower School in Manchester that just received a makeover. Instead of letting it become merely a construction site, Windover Construction and Siemasko + Verbridge architects, with Brookwood Headmaster Nancy Evans, turned the renovation into an inno- vative learning opportunity. Kids reported on the progress of the redesign through a weekly news video they dubbed "The Big Dig." The construction site was made accessible so kids could learn and see the progress of their new school. Today, the new building brings the environment and nature into the school, as every classroom opens to the outdoor classroom. The building itself has become the learning tool. This is just a sampling of the efforts taken by our region's educators to help our children thrive and become successful adults. I applaud these passionate men and women who work tirelessly to teach and nurture our children every day. Thank you, teachers of the North Shore. It Takes a Village ELISE SINAGRA Photographer Green Team page 220 ALEXANDRA PECCI Writer Academic Andover page 28 Angela Coppola is a children's advertising and editorial photographer. Creating images and video of children is her core passion. Her style is light, clean, and crisp with specular quality and open shadows. Her images are fresh, optimistic, genuine, natural, fun, and wholesome. She knows the value of carefully producing a shoot and then letting go on set. ANGELA COPPOLA Photographer New View page 194 Charlotte Roth is a freelance writer and proofreader who lives and works on the North Shore. She recently graduated from Franklin and Marshall College with a degree in English and is interested in pursuing a career in publishing. She can be reached at charlotte. roth@fandm.edu. Elise Sinagra is a North Shore native and an award- winning, internationally published photographer based in Beverly. More of her work can be seen on The New York Times Best Sellers list, The EveryGirl's Guide to Life and The EveryGirl's Guide to Fitness by Maria Menounos, and at elisedonoghue.com. Alexandra Pecci is freelance writer who grew up on the North Shore and has written about its people and places for years. Her travel, food, and lifestyle stories appear in Every Day With Rachael Ray, the Washington Post, and many other publications. She lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband, Brian, and daughter, Chloe. CHARLOTTE ROTH Writer Literary Life page 40 editor's letter contributors photograph by Shelly Harrrison (left) Brookwood Lower School